Spring assembly



Sept, 12, 1933 w. E. wuNDERLlcH 179269995E SPRING ASSEMBLY Filed June 8, 1931 Patented Sept. 12, 1933 PATENT OFFICE SPRING ASSEMBLY William E. Wunderlich, Muncie, Ind., assignor to The Moore Company, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application June 8, 1931. Serial No. 542,900

2 Claims.-

This invention relates to spring assemblies more particularly for mattresses, cushionsand the like.

My invention is of particular service in conjunction with spring cushion assemblies which employ axially compressible upright coil springs and small diameter connecting helicals threaded on the adjacent portions of the terminal convolutions of the springs and margining the assembly.

Among other objects the invention aims to provide a simple and economical spring assembly that will maintain the coils in vertical position and that at the same time will be relatively smooth, compact and noiseless.

My invention may be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing, in Which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a springassembly embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view on a larger scale of the structure of Figure 1 showing upper convolutions on the springs; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 on a larger scale, showing lower terminal convolutions of the springs.

The spring cushion assembly here shown for illustration is inclusive of the contiguous parallel vertical coil springs 1 having upper terminal convolutions 2 and lower terminal convolutions 3, each terminal convolution desirably having a. bend therein as at 4, adjacent which bend the end of the spring is knotted by being wrapped therearound as at 5. The bend 4 prevents the knot from slipping and the terminal convolution from being enlarged or distorted.

In the illustrative construction each terminal convolution 2 which is generally circular has at opposite sides thereof a single substantially straight outwardly projected offset 6 which is substantially perpendicular to and on each sideof a line passing through the centers of contiguous springs, one of the oppositely disposed offsets being on one side of the line and the other offset on the other side of the line, said offsets being immediately adjacent to and substantially equally spaced from said line as clearly shown inthe drawing. This line is parallel to a margin of the assembly contiguous the springs 1. Being thus staggered, the oifsets of two contiguous coils may be readily aligned and the connecting helical 7 easily threaded thereupon, a turn of the helical being desirably interposed between the aligned offsets as at 8. This interposed turn 8 prevents chattering of the springs. So constructed and arranged also, the centers of the coil springs 1 may be maintained on a line parallel to the maring of the spring assembly, afiording a smooth margin for the assembly, and at the same time a greatly simplified and easily assembled structure is provided.

In this instance the interior connecting helical 7 terminates at one of the oflsets 6, as indicated at 9. In order to balance the stresses upon the structure as much as possible, it is desirable that the interior connecting helical 10 which is threaded upon the lower terminal convolutions 3 shall terminate upon an offset uponthe coil spring .adjacent to the one upon which the upper interior connecting helical '7 terminates. To accomplish this result, I have provided that the offsets 6 of the lower terminal convolutions 3 (Figure 4) shall be oppositely disposed from those of the upper 7 convolution of the same spring with respect to a line passing through the centers of contiguous coils. In other words, in Figure 3 the offset 6 at the right hand side of the terminal convolution 2 is outermost with respect to the connecting heli- 30 cal 7, while the ofiset 6 at the right hand side of same coil spring but upon its lower terminal convolution 3 as shown in Figure 4, is innermost with respect to the connecting helical 10. The ofisets at the left hand side of the coil are correspondingly alternated.

A corner coil spring 12 which is also generally circular in addition to having an ofiset 6 adapted to be aligned with another ofiset 6 on a contiguous coil has ofisets 13 which are upon adjacent sides of the terminal convolution 14, but are more than ninety degrees apart. These ofisets 13 like the offsets 6 already referred to, are desirably substantially straight and upon opposite sides of a line joining the center of the coil 12 and the center of some coil adjacent to the coil 12, thus leaving an arc of ninety degrees of the terminal convolution 14 presented to the corner of the. spring assembly as at 15. This produces a well rounded corner which avoids sharp lines, enhancing the comfort of the spring assembly and preventing wear of its covering material.

Marginal helicals 16 margin the assembly, and terminate short of the corner 15, upon the offsets 13, being threaded on these offsets and engaging coils apart from the corner of the assembly by being threaded upon the substantially straight portions 17 thereof.

Certain intermediate coils as 18 may themselves be staggered instead of being arranged no with the line passing through their centers parallel to the margin of the spring assembly, since my improved structure herein described is of greatest utility in conjunction with the marginal and corner springs of the assembly, although the invention is not to be understood to be so limited.

Obviously, it is not indispensable that all of the features of the invention be used conjointly as various combinations and sub-combinations may be advantageously employed.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. A spring assembly including an upright corner coil spring having a generally circular terminal convolution, offsets in said terminal convolution, said ofisets being upon adjacent sides of the terminal convolution but more than ninety degrees apart whereby an arc of fully ninety degrees of the terminal convolution may be presented to the corner of the spring assembly to produce a well rounded corner, and a marginal helical connected to and terminating at each offset.

2. In a spring assembly, a plurality of upright parallel coil springs having generally circular closed terminal convolutions at each end of each spring, each of the terminal convolutions having at opposite sides thereof a single substantially straight outwardly projected ofi'set substantially perpendicular to and on opposite sides of a line passing through the centers of the terminal convolutions of contiguous springs and which line is parallel to a margin of the assembly, said ofisets being immediately adjacent to and substantially equally spaced from said line, the offset upon one side of a terminal convolution at one end of a spring being upon the opposite side of said center line from the oifset at the same side of said spring but at the other end thereof, the ofiset upon oneside of the center line of one spring being aligned with the ofiset of a contiguous spring upon the other side of said line and two connecting helicals in a single vertical plane threaded on the aligned offsets of the contiguous springs and terminating at the offset nearest the margin of the assembly,- a turn of the helicals being disposed between said two adjacent ofisets, whereby one helical terminates upon one spring and the other of said helicals terminates upon the contiguous spring.

WILLIAM E. WUNDERLICH. 

